Random Harvest (1942)

Director:

Mervyn LeRoy

Writers:

Claudine West (screenplay) and
George Froeschel (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

14 September 1943 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

It's Great. Great Stars . . . A Great Story . . . A Great Author!

Plot:

An amnesiac World War I vet falls in love with a music hall star, only to suffer an accident which restores his original memories but erases his post-War life.

Plot Keywords:

Amnesia | WWI | English Country Village | Marriage Of Convenience | Member Of Parliament

Awards:

Nominated for 7 Oscars.

Cast

Ronald Colman	...	Charles Rainier
Greer Garson	...	Paula
Philip Dorn	...	Dr. Jonathan Benet
Susan Peters	...	Kitty
Henry Travers	...	Dr. Sims
Reginald Owen	...	'Biffer'
Bramwell Fletcher	...	Harrison
Rhys Williams	...	Sam
Una O'Connor	...	Tobacconist
Aubrey Mather	...	Sheldon
Margaret Wycherly	...	Mrs. Deventer
Arthur Margetson	...	Chetwynd
Melville Cooper	...	George
Alan Napier	...	Julian
Jill Esmond	...	Lydia

Runtime:

125 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Canada:PG (video rating) | Australia:G | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:Btl | USA:Approved (PCA #8545)

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Ronald Colman had first-hand experience of shell shock - he had fought in the British army at the Battle of Ypres in World War I, during which he was also gassed.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: In the sequence where Rainer (Colman) see his wife off on a train (about 113m into the film), there is a tracking shot as the two walk down the station's platform. The shadow of the camera is briefly, but clearly, visible on a pillar that moves through the foreground of this shot.

Quotes:

Smithy: I don't even know who I am.
Paula: Well, I know who you are. You're someone awfully nice.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Ultimate Film (2004) (TV)

Losing one's mind

James Hilton's contribution to the movies was enormous. His novels have ended up as films that made great impact, as is the case with this film. Mervyn LeRoy must be given credit for bringing it to the screen in a movie that has all the ingredients to keep the viewer glued to his seat.

The film is a tribute to a form of entertainment that alas, has just but disappeared from the present Hollywood. Nothing like this film will be done in the near future because of today's tastes dictates the big, if mindless, spectacles full of special effects, favored by today's movie makers.

There are things in the film that wouldn't make any sense in our high tech world, but the charm of the many twists and turns make for a charming voyage, as we get lost into this tale of love given so honestly by Paula to the amnesiac Smithy. The biggest challenge to logic is the reemergence of Paula as Ms Hansen, Charles Rainier's secretary. But that's the magic of the film, we put up with every twist and turn because we figure these two will find one another in the end.

To have Greer Garson play the role of Paula/Margaret, was a stroke of genius. This actress, with her unusual beauty, made us believe she is that woman whose love for her man is everything. If that object of love was Ronald Colman, one of the most talented leading men of the era, it was well worth the price of admission. Ms Garson was one of the most accomplished actress of the time.

Ronald Colman on the other hand, plays his dual characters with a panache and conviction that only actors of that period had. Mr. Colman makes us believe he is Smithy, the amnesiac soldier, as well as the business magnate that he was prior to losing his mind in the war. He made these two men credible as he transformed himself from one to the other with an ease that was uncanny.

Susan Peters had a small part playing Kitty, who falls in love with Charles, even though she knows it's an impossible undertaking.

This is a film to be cherished by lovers of old American films.